Black Sheep

Allow me to present to you a young kid from the right side of the tracks. Middle-class life and two parents who loved him. However, through it all, he still managed to find ways to feel excluded from everything. The thought of his brother is better than him replayed in his mind like a broken record player. He didn’t feel the love that he was actually surrounded with. Who could blame him? His older brother was accomplished; his cousins were the same.

Let’s say that this kid was the black sheep of the family. 

Here is what every “black sheep” should understand.

Then Jesus told them this parable: “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the pasture and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders, comes home, and calls together his friends and neighbors to tell them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep!’ In the same way, I tell you that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous ones who do not need to repent (Luke 15:3 - 7).

When reading that specific parable, many preachers take the time to talk about how sinners need to repent. They’re not wrong; it is the final point that Jesus says in this parable. However, I want you and I to focus today on what Jesus says about the sheep and to who he says it. 

In that verse, you will read that this shepherd left his flock of ninety-nine sheep to find the one that was lost. Neither you nor I, go look for something that isn’t wanted. Therefore, that sheep is wanted, loved, and cared for. The Shepherd (Ezekiel 34:11–16) is out to bring you home, for you were lost. 

Now, to add an extra layer to this, let’s look at who Jesus is talking to in this specific moment. Know that Jesus, in this moment, is responding to tax collectors and Pharisees who had accused him of eating with sinners (Luke 15:1 - 2). We can assume that, due to the fact that they have such high-ranking jobs in Jewish society, they would be educated in the word of God. Right? 

Therefore, we can assume that these people know that Moses, one of God’s servants, was once upon a time, a shepherd in Jethro’s flock (Exodus 3:1 - 15). It was when he was with the flock that God appeared to him and revealed His plan to save the children of Israel through him. I’m presenting this reality as those who heard what Jesus said, made the connection as well: God wants to bring His people back to Him, for He does not abandon those who cling to Him. 

So What Now? God is right there with you, and He will not abandon you. In fact, He loves abundantly, to the point that He shields us with His love (Psalm 5:11-12). Along with that, know that you are not unwanted or uncared for: you were given wonderful talents that are useful and beautiful, to be used in His time when it is right (Exodus 35:10, James 1:17). Cling to Him, as your life depends on it, because, your life depends on it. 

Therefore, in truth, I tell you: you are not an unwanted black sheep. You are a loved sheep who is on their way; The Father has not stopped loving you. These are the lessons I needed to learn when I was a little kid in a middle-class family, to turn me into a man who is truly looking for God, now more than ever. 

All the best, be blessed.

Eli